Which is to say: FULL! Morning: last lessons of master class given by our wonderful guest artist, Aldo Baerten- fabulous playing and fabulous teaching, exciting to watch! While everyone goes off to lunch, set up an expo of Powell flutes and piccolos in main room. Rush to lunch, eat on the fly. Seminar on the Powell company, its storied background, and current offerings, followed by a swarm of eager testers, swapping out head joints and bodies, great fun, the proverbial "birdcage on fire". OOPS, time's up, chamber music! Quick check on the duo working up the winning composition of our composition competition, "Traveling", for flue and alto flute, by Ricardo Matosinhos. Brilliant playing by two excellent participants. Then we crash the composers seminar, run by the President of the competition's jury, Ivan Moody, and the duo is worked through with the composer: a few tweaks here and there—a fantastically fun píece! Then on to hear a Kohler Quartet, which is coming along great— Friday performance on the docket. Then rush to rehearse "Recompor" by Jorge Ramos with a large ensemble: fine-tuning balance and expression, checking details with Jorge- so useful to have LIVING COMPOSERS at hand. Finally a moment of rest, then the urge to practice- a golden half hour, not bad. Final event: "Body Percussion" with Artur Carvalho. FUN FUN FUN. I am terrible, but who cares! Totally cool teacher; I want to do it again NOW! And just before starvation hits: dinner with Ivan- civilized and entertaining yakking over great food! Now that's a day in a "life in music", folks!
A day full of inspiration
We broke with our usual AFV schedule yesterdayyy to host a masterclass by the fabulous Belgian flutist Aldo Baerten, and it was well worth it! Beyond being a flutist, he's a "musician's musician": the flute is only a tool for making MUSIC, rather than an end in and of itself. He gave generously in his attention, respect, knowledge and appreciation to each student, and they were remarkably adroit in making the suggested changes. I thoroughly enjoyed the day: I was simultaneously a teacher observing an admirable colleague's work… and taken back to my days as a young player attending masterclasses—scribbled notes to keep as food for thought and useful tactics to try when the well of my own inspiration runs dry. Thanks again to Powell Flutes, who sponsored Aldo here! (Having a technical snafu whereby I cannot attach photos to the blog- I'll do photos next week from home…). Cheers to all!
Welcoming Aldo Baerten to The AFV
Monday I finally met Aldo Baerten here at the Summer Flute Academy, where he'll be guest-teaching courtesy of the generosity of Powell Flutes. I've been waiting for this moment for MONTHS, and we hit it off in a major way. After an opening concert by the professors in music ranging from Purcell to Takemitsu and finishing with a Scherzo from a quartet by Walckiers, we headed for great food (this is Porto, after all) and stayed talking way too late! You might say that the music business has been truly globalized when a Belgian and a Californian know any number of people in common—including Australians, and I've not even been to Australia! We discussed the orchestral life, teaching, teachers and students, and how the connections formed link us all not only geographically but to the past and the future. A different kind of World Wide Web. Today Aldo will stat working with the fabulous students of the AFV, and another set of new connections will begin to form!
I'm busted! (Thanks for busting me, Clay)
in Teaching
A member of my vast readership has pointed out to me that life, and music, do not begin in college, and right he is! He perhaps wants me to confess that my first instrument was the ukulele?… having gotten that out of the way, i'll jump to high school and confess the greatest good luck with both teachers and fellow students. Ours was a magnet school for performing arts before such a thing existed. We put on musicals twice-yearly, with the entire production, on and offstage, turned over to the students: scenery, lighting, tech, orchestra, and even the singers! Once a sub filled in for Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz on a day's notice and was an instant star. A friend wrote an oratorio, another friend conducted us singing it. We sang a twelve-tone Anthem by Stravinsky. We learned about aging singing in local convalescent homes. The cute boy who could do stand-up and mime took on a serious role perfectly in the play "The Diary of Anne Frank". One singer later started an opera company; another was nominated for a Grammy. Our teachers had unlimited faith in our nascent abilities. Another day I'll write more about it all, but Clay, don't worry it's not forgotten— none of you are remotely forgotten. Ramona High School: an extraordinary ordinary public school in the California 'burbs. As I start a week of working with young musicians, I'll keep these thoughts close at hand.
Ten Thousand Hours
Researchers who study talent and expertise have come to an interesting conclusion: in short, talent doesn't exist. The old adage about it being 5% inspiration and 95% perspiration perhaps needs to crank perspiration up to 100%, and more specifically, the sweat of 10,000 hours of hard, focussed work. We flutists know a bit about doing that, I'd say! But let's do those hours with a happy heart, and with a flute that is the work of an expert artisan, who has put in his or her own 10,000 hours to gain true mastery of flute-building. That flute, for me, has always been a Powell. There are many to choose from, and all will give you that amazing sensation of never reaching the end of what you can imagine.
Galina at Powell, padding a flute with protective blue film
Head's up! Powell Flutes at the Summer Flute Academy
Here's some of the gear I'm packing up to take to the Summer Flute Academy (AFV)! There's lots more swag to show, but these gorgeous Powell head joints were just asking to have their photo taken! (Really, I mean it: begging!). I'll have flutes and piccolos from all four Powell line to try out. On the 31st of August, I'll be wending my way south from Porto by car and can stop to show instruments along the way, just contact me to set up an appointment. I'll also have detailed information flyers about all Powell lines, materials, options and so forth—just ask or pick one up at the Academy. See you there!
Handmade Custom Powell head joints, in Silver, Aurumite 9k, 14k, 9k Gold, and Grenadilla